Christian School Sparks Unprecedented Religious Liberty Battle After Firing Teachers for Refusing to Prove Their Faith
A Christian school in Thousand Oaks, Calif., is locked in a heated legal battle with former teachers who are claiming that they were unfairly dismissed for failing to provide proof of their faith. The trouble began last summer when Lynda Serrano and Mary Ellen Guevara were asked to submit documentation affirming their Christian views — something they refused to do.
The two were subsequently fired, with Little Oaks School officials claiming that their decision was protected under employment provisions reserved for religious entities. The former preschool teachers then threatened the school with legal action and the Ventura County Star reports that the Christian institution responded by filing a lawsuit of its own. What has resulted is a complicated and unique legal conundrum.
To begin: Little Oaks is a for-profit entity that is owned by Calvary Chapel of Thousand Oaks, a local church. With school...
Dr. Steven J. Lawson | 10/11/2009
